Railroad-rail joint.



Nu. 69!,347. Patented Ian. 2|, I902. H

C. E; BENTLEY.

RAILROAD RAIL' JOINT.

(Application filed Kay 22, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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CALVIN EUGENE BENTLEY, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-RAIL JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,347, dated January 21, 1902. Application filed May 22, 1901. Serial No. 61,425. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CALVIN EUGENE BENT- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Rail Joint, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in so-called continuous-tread rails, wherein the ends of abutting rails overlap, so that a car-wheel is supported without jar in passing from rail to rail; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide an arched form of web construction'for supporting the lapped ends of the tread,whereby these lapped ends of the rail shall be able to withstand the pounding of the heavy rolling-stock now so generally used on railroads, and, second, to leave the lapped bearing-surfaces of the joint fiat, whereby the elasticity of the lapped joint and the rail is better equalized. I attain these objects by mechanism as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional View of my rail-joint at line X X in Fig. 2 at one-half reduction from full size. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofmy complete rail-joint. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of rail-joint without fish-plates. Fig. 4 is a lengthwise sectional view of webs at line Y Y in Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.

10 is the rail-tread, and 11 the regular web of the rail, each side of the joint having the concave sides 12, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1.

13 13 are the arched inner sides of the webs of the lapped ends of the rails.

The tread 10 and the base 17 are halved, and the web is simply turned to one side to. support each half. At the points lat 14: where the webs are turned aside I gradually intensify the curve 12 onthe inner side of the web, forming a segment of a sphere or oval of the Web at this point, the full concavity 13 of the inner side of the web being reached at the end of the turn,which curve 13 is about doublethatofline12. Thisfullcurvepresses the outer line of the lapped web straight or slightly convex. This formation of the lapped ends gives the halves of the tread 10 and base 17 aflat bearing 15 15 against each other and an arched Web 18 of full size to support each half of the tread.

16 16 are my improved fish-plates, formed on their inner sides with a similar arch or concavity to the inner sides of the web and bracing on the angular under surface of tread'lO and the like upper surface of the base 17. I continue the base of the fishplates around under base 17, as at 1.9 19, to aid in supporting the lapped joint at 22. Holes 20 20 in the web are made larger in diameter than bolt 21 to aid in giving elasticity to the joint and to allow for expansion from heat and cold. Ends 22 22 of the rail-laps are made at an angle in order to graduate the break in the tread and not havean abrupt jump from one rail to another. It is only necessary that webs 13 extend to line 22 on each side of the lap, since the main office of the web is to support the tread.

Heretofore continuous or'overlapping railjoints which have the full web under each half of the tread have been upset at point 14 and then split; also, a rib or projection has ,been formed on the inner side of one web and a corresponding opening to receive said rib on the other web. I find this rib and the upsetting of the entire rail objectionable, since they make the joint so stiif and rigid that there is no elasticity in the joint, as there is in the remainder of the rail, and consequently there is more danger of the rail breaking just before or just after the joint under the pounding of immense weights at high speed.

By my lapped joint without rib or connecting projection other than the bolts in large holes 20 I retain the elasticity of the rail throughout the joint, and by the turning of the two webs and curving them apart I ob tain the two sides ofmy arch. I thus have one of the strongest known forms of construction to support my tread where it is weakest.

It will be recognized that my arched form of web is applicable, with slight adaptation, to an L-rail for street-car work or any other form of rail.

I claim as new 1. A railroad-rail joint, having the treads and bases of the rail ends cut in half and lapped lengthwise for a suitable distance and the end of each half having an angular joint, the entire web of each rail turned aside to sup 10 as at 14 14 and given a larger curve 13 on the inner side, fish-plates 16 having extension 19, bolts 21, substantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presenceof I 5 two subscribing Witnesses.

' C. EUGENE BENTLEY.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. KETTLE, L. T. BALDWIN. 

